This invention relates generally to detecting diseases of the breast. Furthermore, the invention also relates to reagents and methods for detecting diseases of the breast. More particularly, the present invention relates to reagents such as polynucleotide sequences and the polypeptide sequences encoded thereby, as well as methods which utilize these sequences. The polynucleotide and polypeptide sequences are useful for detecting, diagnosing, staging, monitoring, prognosticating, in vivo imaging, preventing or treating, or determining predisposition to diseases or conditions of the breast, such as breast cancer.
Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer occurring in females in the U.S. The incidence of breast cancers in the United States is projected to be 180,300 cases diagnosed and 43,900 breast cancer-related deaths to occur during 1998 (American Cancer Society statistics). Worldwide, the incidence of breast cancer increased from 700,000 in 1985 to about 900,000 in 1990. G. N. Hortobagyi et al., CA Cancer J Clin 45:199-226 (1995).
Procedures used for detecting, diagnosing, staging, monitoring, prognosticating, in vivo imaging, preventing or treating, or determining predisposition to diseases or conditions of the breast, such as breast cancer, are of critical importance to the outcome of the patient. For example, patients diagnosed with early breast cancer have greater than a 90% five-year relative survival rate as compared to a survival rate of about 20% for patients diagnosed with distantly metastasized breast cancers. (American Cancer Society statistics). Currently, the best initial indicators of early breast cancer are physical examination of the breast and mammography. J. R. Harris et al. In: Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology, Fourth Edition, pp. 1264-1332, Philadelphia, Pa.: J/B. Lippincott Co. (1993). Mammography may detect a breast tumor before it can be detected by physical examination, but it has limitations. For example, mammography""s predictive value depends on the observer""s skill and the quality of the mammogram. In addition, 80 to 93% of suspicious mammograms are false positives, and 10 to 15% of women with breast cancer have false negative mammograms. C. J. Wright et al., Lancet 346:29-32 (1995). New diagnostic methods that are more sensitive and specific for detecting early breast cancer are clearly needed.
Breast cancer patients are closely monitored following initial therapy and during adjuvant therapy to determine response to therapy, and to detect persistent or recurrent disease, or early distant metastasis. Current diagnostic procedures for monitoring breast cancer include mammography, bone scan, chest radiographs, liver function tests and tests for serum markers. The serum tumor markers most commonly used for monitoring patients are carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and CA 15-3. Limitations of CEA include absence of elevated serum levels in about 40% of women with metastatic disease. In addition, CEA elevation during adjuvant therapy may not be related to recurrence but to other factors that are not clinically important. CA 15-3 can also be negative in a significant number of patients with progressive disease and, therefore, fail to predict metastasis. Both CEA and CA 15-3 can be elevated in nonmalignant, benign conditions giving rise to false positive results. Therefore, it would be clinically beneficial to find a breast associated marker which is more sensitive and specific in detecting cancer recurrence. J. R. Harris et al., supra. M. K. Schwartz, In: Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology. Vol. 1, Fourth Edition, pp. 531-542, Philadelphia, Pa.: J/B. Lippincott Co. 1993.
Another important step in managing breast cancer is to determine the stage of the patient""s disease because stage determination has potential prognostic value and provides criteria for designing optimal therapy. Currently, pathological staging of breast cancer is preferable over clinical staging because the former gives a more accurate prognosis. J. R. Harris et al., supra. On the other hand, clinical staging would be preferred were it at least as accurate as pathological staging because it does not depend on an invasive procedure to obtain tissue for pathological evaluation. Staging of breast cancer could be improved by detecting new markers in serum or urine which could differentiate between different stages of invasion. Such markers could be mRNA or protein markers expressed by cells originating from the primary tumor in the breast but residing in blood, bone marrow or lymph nodes and could serve as sensitive indicators for metastasis to these distal organs. For example, specific protein antigens and mRNA, associated with breast epithelial cells, have been detected by immunohistochemical techniques and RT-PCR, respectively, in bone marrow, lymph nodes and blood of breast cancer patients suggesting metastasis. K. Pantel et al., Onkologie 18:394-401 (1995).
Such diagnostic procedures also could include immunological assays based upon the appearance of various disease markers in test samples such as blood, plasma, serum or urine obtained by minimally invasive procedures which are detectable by immunological methods. These diagnostic procedures would provide information to aid the physician in managing the patient with disease of the breast, at low cost to the patient. Markers such as prostate specific antigen (PSA) and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) exist and are used clinically for screening patients for prostate cancer and testicular cancer, respectively. For example, PSA normally is secreted by the prostate at high levels into the seminal fluid, but is present in very low levels in the blood of men with normal prostates. Elevated levels of PSA protein in serum are used in the early detection of prostate cancer or disease in asymptomatic men. See, for example, G. E. Hanks et al., In: Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology, Vol. 1, Fourth Edition, pp. 1073-1113, Philadelphia, Pa.: J. B. Lippincott Co. 1993. M. K. Schwartz et al., In: Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology, Vol. 1, Fourth Edition, pp. 531-542, Philadelphia, Pa.: J. B. Lippincott Co. 1993. Likewise, the management of breast diseases could be improved by the use of new markers normally expressed in the breast but found in elevated amounts in an inappropriate body compartment as a result of the disease of the breast.
Further, new markers which could predict the biologic behavior of early breast cancers would also be of significant value. Early breast cancers that threaten or will threaten the life of the patient are more clinically important than those that do not or will not be a threat. G. E. Hanks, supra. Such markers are needed to predict which patients with histologically negative lymph nodes will experience recurrence of cancer and also to predict which cases of ductal carcinoma in situ will develop into invasive breast carcinoma. More accurate prognostic markers would allow the clinician to accurately identify early cancers localized to the breast which will progress and metastasize if not treated aggressively. Additionally, the absence of a marker for an aggressive cancer in the patient could spare the patient expensive and non-beneficial treatment. J. R. Harris et al., supra. E. R. Frykberg et al., Cancer 74:350-361 (1994).
It therefore would be advantageous to provide specific methods and reagents useful for detecting, diagnosing, staging, monitoring, prognosticating, in vivo imaging, preventing or treating, or determining predisposition to diseases or conditions of the breast. Such methods would include assaying a test sample for products of a gene which are overexpressed in diseases and conditions associated with the breast, including cancer. Such methods may also include assaying a test sample for products of a gene that have been altered by the disease or condition associated with the breast, including cancer. Such methods may further include assaying a test sample for products of a gene whose distribution among the various tissues and compartments of the body have been altered by a breast-associated disease or condition, including cancer. Such methods would comprise making cDNA from mRNA in the test sample, amplifying, when necessary, portions of the cDNA corresponding to the gene or a fragment thereof, and detecting the cDNA product as an indication of the presence of the disease or condition including cancer or detecting translation products of the mRNAs comprising gene sequences as an indication of the presence of the disease. Useful reagents include polynucleotide(s), or fragment(s) thereof which may be used in diagnostic methods such as reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), PCR, or hybridization assays of mRNA extracted from biopsied tissue, blood or other test samples; or proteins which are the translation products of such mRNAs; or antibodies directed against these proteins. Such assays would include methods for assaying a sample for product(s) of the gene and detecting the product(s) as an indication of disease of the breast. Drug treatment or gene therapy for diseases and conditions of the breast including cancer can be based on these identified gene sequences or their expressed proteins, and efficacy of any particular therapy can be monitored. Furthermore, it would be advantageous to have available alternative, non-surgical diagnostic methods capable of detecting early stage breast disease, such as cancer.
The present invention provides a method of detecting a target BU101 polynucleotide in a test sample which comprises contacting the test sample with at least one BU101-specific polynucleotide and detecting the presence of the target BU101 polynucleotide in the test sample. The BU101-specific polynucleotide has at least 50% identity with a polynucleotide selected from the group consisting of SEQUENCE ID NO 1, SEQUENCE ID NO 2, SEQUENCE ID NO 3, SEQUENCE ID NO 4, SEQUENCE ID NO 5, SEQUENCE ID NO 6, and fragments or complements thereof. Also, the BU101-specific polynucleotide may be attached to a solid phase prior to performing the method.
The present invention also provides a method for detecting BU101 mRNA in a test sample, which comprises performing reverse transcription (RT) with at least one primer in order to produce cDNA, amplifying the cDNA so obtained using BU101 oligonucleotides as sense and antisense primers to obtain BU101 amplicon, and detecting the presence of the BU101 amplicon as an indication of the presence of BU101 mRNA in the test sample, wherein the BU101 oligonucleotides have at least 50% identity with a sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQUENCE ID NO 1, SEQUENCE ID NO 2, SEQUENCE ID NO 3, SEQUENCE ID NO 4, SEQUENCE ID NO 5, SEQUENCE ID NO 6, and fragments or complements thereof Amplification can be performed by the polymerase chain reaction. Also, the test sample can be reacted with a solid phase prior to performing the method, prior to amplification or prior to detection. This reaction can be a direct or an indirect reaction. Further, the detection step can comprise utilizing a detectable label capable of generating a measurable signal. The detectable label can be attached to a solid phase.
The present invention further provides a method of detecting a target BU101 polynucleotide in a test sample suspected of containing target BU101 polynucleotides, which comprises (a) contacting the test sample with at least one BU101 oligonucleotide as a sense primer and at least one BU101 oligonucleotide as an anti-sense primer, and amplifying same to obtain a first stage reaction product; (b) contacting the first stage reaction product with at least one other BU101 oligonucleotide to obtain a second stage reaction product, with the proviso that the other BU101 oligonucleotide is located 3xe2x80x2 to the BU101 oligonucleotides utilized in step (a) and is complementary to the first stage reaction product; and (c) detecting the second stage reaction product as an indication of the presence of a target BU101 polynucleotide in the test sample. The BU101 oligonucleotides selected as reagents in the method have at least 50% identity with a sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQUENCE ID NO 1, SEQUENCE ID NO 2, SEQUENCE ID NO 3, SEQUENCE ID NO 4, SEQUENCE ID NO 5, SEQUENCE ID NO 6, and fragments or complements thereof. Amplification may be performed by the polymerase chain reaction. The test sample can be reacted either directly or indirectly with a solid phase prior to performing the method, or prior to amplification, or prior to detection. The detection step also comprises utilizing a detectable label capable of generating a measurable signal; further, the detectable label can be attached to a solid phase.
Test kits useful for detecting target BU101 polynucleotide in a test sample are also provided which comprise a container containing at least one BU101 specific polynucleotide selected from the group consisting of SEQUENCE ID NO 1, SEQUENCE ID NO 2, SEQUENCE ID NO 3, SEQUENCE ID NO 4, SEQUENCE ID NO 5, SEQUENCE ID NO 6, and fragments or complements thereof. These test kits further comprise containers with tools useful for collecting test samples (such as, for example, blood, urine, saliva and stool). Such tools include lancets and absorbent paper or cloth for collecting and stabilizing blood; swabs for collecting and stabilizing saliva; and cups for collecting and stabilizing urine or stool samples. Collection materials, such as papers, cloths, swabs, cups, and the like, may optionally be treated to avoid denaturation or irreversible adsorption of the sample. The collection materials also may be treated with or contain preservatives, stabilizers or antimicrobial agents to help maintain the integrity of the specimens.
The present invention also provides a purified polynucleotide or fragment thereof derived from a BU101 gene. The purified polynucleotide is capable of selectively hybridizing to the nucleic acid of the BU101 gene, or a complement thereof. The polynucleotide has at least 50% identity with a polynucleotide selected from the group consisting of SEQUENCE ID NO 1, SEQUENCE ID NO 2, SEQUENCE ID NO 3, SEQUENCE ID NO 4, SEQUENCE ID NO 5, SEQUENCE ID NO 6, and fragments or complements thereof Further, the purified polynucleotide can be produced by recombinant and/or synthetic techniques. The purified recombinant polynucleotide can be contained within a recombinant vector. The invention further comprises a host cell transfected with the recombinant vector.
The present invention further provides a recombinant expression system comprising a nucleic acid sequence that includes an open reading frame derived from BU101. The nucleic acid sequence has at least 50% identity with a sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQUENCE ID NO 1, SEQUENCE ID NO 2, SEQUENCE ID NO 3, SEQUENCE ID NO 4, SEQUENCE ID NO 5, SEQUENCE ID NO 6, and fragments or complements thereof. The nucleic acid sequence is operably linked to a control sequence compatible with a desired host. Also provided is a cell transfected with this recombinant expression system.
The present invention also provides a polypeptide encoded by BU101. The polypeptide can be produced by recombinant technology, provided in purified form, or produced by synthetic techniques. The polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence which has at least 50% identity with an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQUENCE ID NO 20, SEQUENCE ID NO 21, SEQUENCE ID NO 22, SEQUENCE ID NO 23, SEQUENCE ID NO 24, SEQUENCE ID NO 25, SEQUENCE ID NO 26, SEQUENCE ID NO 27, SEQUENCE ID NO 28, SEQUENCE ID NO 29 (SEQUENCE ID NOS 20-29), and fragments thereof.
Also provided is a specific binding molecule, such as an antibody, which specifically binds to at least one BU101 epitope. The antibody can be a polyclonal or monoclonal antibody. The epitope is derived from an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQUENCE ID NOS 20-29, and fragments thereof Assay kits for determining the presence of BU101 antigen or anti-BU101 antibody in a test sample are also included. In one embodiment, the assay kits comprise a container containing at least one BU101 polypeptide having at least 50% identity with an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQUENCE ID NOS 20-29, and fragments thereof. Further, the test kit can comprise a container with tools useful for collecting test samples (such as blood, urine, saliva, and stool). Such tools include lancets and absorbent paper or cloth for collecting and stabilizing blood; swabs for collecting and stabilizing saliva; and cups for collecting and stabilizing urine or stool samples. Collection materials such as papers, cloths, swabs, cups, and the like, may optionally be treated to avoid denaturation or irreversible adsorption of the sample. These collection materials also may be treated with or contain preservatives, stabilizers or antimicrobial agents to help maintain the integrity of the specimens. Also, the polypeptide can be attached to a solid phase.
In another embodiment of the invention, specific binding molecules, such as antibodies or fragments thereof against the BU101 antigen, can be used to detect or image localization of the antigen in a patient for the purpose of detecting or diagnosing a disease or condition. Such antibodies can be polyclonal or monoclonal, or made by molecular biology techniques, and can be labeled with a variety of detectable labels, including but not limited to radioisotopes and paramagnetic metals. Furthermore, antibodies or fragments thereof, whether monoclonal, polyclonal, or made by molecular biology techniques, can be used as therapeutic agents for the treatment of diseases characterized by expression of the BU101 antigen. In the case of therapeutic applications, the antibody may be used without derivitization, or it may be derivitized with a cytotoxic agent such as a radioisotope, enzyme, toxin, drug, prodrug, or the like.
Another assay kit for determining the presence of BU101 antigen or anti-BU101 antibody in a test sample comprises a container containing an antibody which specifically binds to a BU101 antigen, wherein the BU101 antigen comprises at least one BU101-encoded epitope. The BU101 antigen has at least about 50% sequence similarity to a sequence of a BU101-encoded antigen selected from the group consisting of SEQUENCE ID NOS 20-29, and fragments thereof. These test kits can further comprise containers with tools useful for collecting test samples (such as blood, urine, saliva, and stool). Such tools include lancets and absorbent paper or cloth for collecting and stabilizing blood; swabs for collecting and stabilizing saliva; cups for collecting and stabilizing urine or stool samples. Collection materials, such as papers, cloths, swabs, cups and the like, may optionally be treated to avoid denaturation or irreversible adsorption of the sample. These collection materials also may be treated with, or contain, preservatives, stabilizers or antimicrobial agents to help maintain the integrity of the specimens. The antibody can be attached to a solid phase.
A method for producing a polypeptide which contains at least one epitope of BU101 is provided, which method comprises incubating host cells transfected with an expression vector. This vector comprises a polynucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide, wherein the polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 50% identity with a BU101 amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQUENCE ID NOS 20-29, and fragments thereof.
A method for detecting BU101 antigen in a test sample suspected of containing BU101 antigen also is provided. The method comprises contacting the test sample with an antibody or fragment thereof which specifically binds to at least one epitope of BU101 antigen, for a time and under conditions sufficient for the formation of antibody/antigen complexes; and detecting the presence of such complexes containing the antibody as an indication of the presence of BU101 antigen in the test sample. The antibody can be attached to a solid phase and may be either a monoclonal or polyclonal antibody. Furthermore, the antibody specifically binds to at least one BU101 antigen selected from the group consisting of SEQUENCE ID NOS 20-29, and fragments thereof.
Another method is provided which detects antibodies which specifically bind to BU101 antigen in a test sample suspected of containing these antibodies. The method comprises contacting the test sample with a polypeptide which contains at least one BU101 epitope, wherein the BU101 epitope comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 50% identity with an amino acid sequence encoded by a BU101 polynucleotide, or a fragment thereof. Contacting is performed for a time and under conditions sufficient to allow antigen/antibody complexes to form. The method further entails detecting complexes which contain the polypeptide. The polypeptide can be attached to a solid phase. Further, the polypeptide can be a recombinant protein or a synthetic peptide having at least 50% identity with an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQUENCE ID NOS 20-29, and fragments thereof.
The present invention provides a cell transfected with a BU101 nucleic acid sequence that encodes at least one epitope of a BU101 antigen, or fragment thereof. The nucleic acid sequence is selected from the group consisting of SEQUENCE ID NO 1, SEQUENCE ID NO 2, SEQUENCE ID NO 3, SEQUENCE ID NO 4, SEQUENCE ID NO 5, SEQUENCE ID NO 6, and fragments or complements thereof.
A method for producing antibodies to BU101 antigen also is provided, which method comprises administering to an individual an isolated immunogenic polypeptide or fragment thereof, wherein the isolated immunogenic polypeptide comprises at least one BU101 epitope. The immunogenic polypeptide is administered in an amount sufficient to produce an immune response. The isolated, immunogenic polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQUENCE ID NOS 20-29, and fragments thereof.
Another method for producing antibodies which specifically bind to BU101 antigen is disclosed, which method comprises administering to an individual a plasmid comprising a nucleic acid sequence which encodes at least one BU101 epitope derived from an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQUENCE ID NOS 20-29, and fragments thereof. The plasmid is administered in an amount such that the plasmid is taken up by cells in the individual and expressed at levels sufficient to produce an immune response.
Also provided is a composition of matter that comprises a BU101 polynucleotide of at least about 10-12 nucleotides having at least 50% identity with a polynucleotide selected from the group consisting of SEQUENCE ID NO 1, SEQUENCE ID NO 2, SEQUENCE ID NO 3, SEQUENCE ID NO 4, SEQUENCE ID NO 5, SEQUENCE ID NO 6, and fragments or complements thereof. The BU101 polynucleotide encodes an amino acid sequence having at least one BU101 epitope. Another composition of matter provided by the present invention comprises a polypeptide with at least one BU101 epitope of about 8-10 amino acids. The polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 50% identity with an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQUENCE ID NOS 20-29, and fragments thereof. Also provided is a gene, or fragment thereof, coding for a BU101 polypeptide which has at least 50% identity with SEQUENCE ID NO 20, and a gene, or a fragment thereof comprising DNA having at least 50% identity with SEQUENCE ID NO 4, SEQUENCE ID NO 5, or SEQUENCE ID NO 6.